If you are in state, that makes no sense. Your tuition and RB should be 1/2 too. It’s just a mistake bc you are starting spring. $23 and change is for 2 semesters. It’ll get cleared up.
Your post #8 shows the fee as $9000. That has to be the tuition only? Jumping to $23k is also for room and board. You also don’t list any award that is now ‘gone’ except the Perkins loan. You might have received $1500 in work study for one semester, and still might if you go ask for it, but that’s not really a problem because you can still earn $1500 on your own.
What do you think is missing? Did you get a FA award letter when you were accepted for spring semester (or on your .edu account?)?
post 8 is from the net price calculator which includes room/board/tuiton/books/everything. It said I would get 13,000 in scholarships and grants and have to pay 9000 total (which can be payed with the loans or work study). I did not get 13,000 in scholarships and grants or work study so that is what was missing. I did not get any financial aid letters until this week even though I got accepted for the spring semester in january-ish. My problem is I expected to receive that 13,000 and could pay the rest. I didn’t get it and now its too late for anything. They made me put down my deposit before they even gave me my financial aid.
The net price calculator gives aid for the FULL year. If you are enrolling in January, you would get 1/2 of the full amount…and you would have 1/2 of the expenses.
Yoir total cost for the spring term is 1/2 of $23,000. Right? So…let’s say $12,000 to round it off.
You will still be able to take a full $5500 in Direct loan money for the spring term. Plus you will get half of the Pell…so $2300 or so. That is $7800. That would leave you with a balance of $5000 or so for the spring term…or 1/2 of the $10,000 you say you can contribute.
In terms of the scholarship…you need to contact the college directly…and ask them. If the award isn’t an automatic award, it is possible that you just didn’t get it.
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Total Grants and Scholarships $16,191
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That would mean about $8k per semester. That is about $5k in scholarship in addition to the Pell.
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got 2,887 pell grant <<<
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So, they’re not giving you the merit scholarship that you probably would have gotten if you started in the Fall. That is the problem.
The school is not just splitting the aid.
When a student applies for FALL, but the school accepts for spring instead, the school should make it clear that the NPC projected aid that the student/family likely viewed will not be accurate for a spring admit. The school should NOT expect the student/family to know that. The school is the expert here. They have an obligation to explain that.
I spoke with a financial aid advisor and she said simply what happened was I didn’t get those grants because they didn’t have any money left for aid for the spring students. After this semester for fall next year, I will receive the grants I expected to get. Just like you suggested, she said to maximize my loans for next semester and then next year things should be back to normal. I feel so much better, this semester might be tough but knowing next year will be on track with my expected financial plan is great!! thank you all for the help I’m a first generation college student with very foreign parents and doing everything on my own so it really helped.
@reb1rr GET THAT IN WRITING!
I would suggest you ask if you can delay enrollment until next fall with all the financial things in place. If enrollment cannot be delayed, then you need to get in writing that the merit scholarships that you weren’t given in the sping will be in place in the fall, and work study, and perkins loan.
You need to be very careful with your terminology with these people.
Merit scholarship, grant, work study, and perkins loan.
Your grants and scholarships was listed as $16,191. About $10,000/$11,000 of that is in jeopardy. That is our biggest concern - that you won’t get that next fall. The federal pell grant will still be received, the small amount out of that $16,191 - FREE MONEY. That is 4 year scholarship with successful completion of each year meeting the academic requirements to keep. If you don’t start with it, you won’t get the school/state free money.
Your GPA may have kept you back from scholarship? (IDK what it is; is it equal or above 3.5?); with ACT 30 you would have possibly received merit from other MI schools. I am talking 4 year merit.
The schools will only count new students for the entry merit scholarships. You took courses at CC (which MI State advised you to do). So that ‘ruined’ it for taking a gap year.
Please put a proposed email together and post it here so you use all the right wording. The response should cover all the information so you will know exactly what is promised.
We do not want you to get short changed or misled. Loose language can be misinterpreted.
Answers in writing from a person with authority from the school. Detail about how you took the credit hours this term under the advice of MI State. If allowed to delay enrollment until fall, in order to receive all the need based aid and merit scholarships, does that mean student should not take any more college classes in the spring?
As always, each year in the spring you need to do the FASFA.
If MI State will not fully restore your scholarship money, you may be able to attend another in-state college with merit scholarships and a sufficient aid package. These other schools’ scholarship deadlines are coming up.
Input please @kelsmom what other Michigan schools will consider someone with less than 12 hours as a freshman and give merit scholarships?
I can afford one semester so it doesn’t make a difference to me waiting until fall. She said the grants were substantial and were based on my income and I would receive them next year for sure, it was already noted on my financial aid when she pulled it up apparently. I can ask for it in writing just to make sure. My taking of classes this semester at CC had no effect on financial aid here since I was worried it was the problem. I have no interest in going to a different school or waiting.
Do get it in writing. It seems the school has already been unclear about your spring admission and how that would affect your grant.
I think with this amount of money at stake it would be worth getting an in person appointment and take a parent along.
I did the calculator.
Total Grants and Scholarships $16,191
Your Estimated Net Price
$9,909
Your Estimated Eligibility for Other Aid Programs:
Loans
Federal Perkins Loan - $1,000
Direct Subsidized Loan - $3,500
Direct Unsubsidized Loan - $2,000
Out-of-Pocket Cost after Student’s Financial Aid
$3,409
Additional Resources:
Federal Work-Study - $3,000
Parent PLUS Loan - $409
Out-of-Pocket Cost after Additional Resources: $0
The total grants and scholarships money is the issue. You qualify for the federal portion of this (Pell Grant). Will you be receiving the remaining grants/scholarship which are state or institution based? - what is said on a phone and what is put in writing - what was said on the phone can be misunderstood.
You are assuming this package will be in place in the fall, and you can ‘suck up’ one semester.
I agree about getting an appt and making sure you can have the finances in place.
“I have no interest in going to a different school or waiting.” Well what happens if this financing is not in place and you cannot finish? The plan already has the max student loan you can take.
You have to be careful and realistic about this situation. “After this semester for fall next year, I will receive the grants I expected to get.”
The school based scholarship is for incoming freshmen - your ACT score at 3.0 GPA may have qualified you beyond the income based aid. They do this for incoming freshman - it is 4 year unless the student doesn’t progress academically at the level required to keep the scholarship.
Did they tell you why you were accepted for Spring instead of Fall? I am extremely frightened for you. Please make the appt and do not let time eliminate the options for you to afford to get a degree.
I agree with mom2ck comment on this thread “When a student applies for FALL, but the school accepts for spring instead, the school should make it clear that the NPC projected aid that the student/family likely viewed will not be accurate for a spring admit. The school should NOT expect the student/family to know that. The school is the expert here. They have an obligation to explain that.”
You received your information for Spring just recently. What happens when your financial aid package for the fall is not as you expect? Please get some better information in person and in writing.
If your EFC is zero and your parents make very little money, how exactly are you going to suck it up for Spring Semester?
What is your exact cost for Spring Semester (do you know?) and what is the source of the funds to make this payment?
I’m concerned that there is a semantics issue…and you don’t have anything in writing.
As mentioned above, you need to email the FA office and Scholarship office and ask:
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Can I delay my enrollment until Fall 2016 because the aid for Spring 2015 semester is not affordable?
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If I delay my enrollment until Fall 2016, and I submit FAFSA after Jan 1 and have a 0 EFC, will I get:
A) The approx $10k per year merit scholarship that the NPC indicated for my ACT 30 and 3.0 GPA.
B) full Pell Grant
C) approx $2k in work study
D) approx $1k in Perkins Loans
E) $5500 in Direct Loans
- If I’m not permitted to delay enrollment until Fall 2016, and I enroll in Spring 2016, and and I have a 0 EFC, then will I get the following in Fall 2016?
A) The approx $10k merit scholarship that the NPC indicated for my ACT 30 and 3.0 GPA
B) full Pell Grant
C) approx $2k in work study
D) approx $1k in Perkins Loans
E) $5500 in Direct Loans
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Please keep in mind that I had applied for Fall 2015 (submitted my app in Fall 2014), but was only accepted for Spring 2016. I based my decision to accept that placement based on the NPC results. I was not given an opportunity to see my Spring FA pkg at the time I had to deposit, and since learned that it is unaffordable.
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Also, please keep in mind that MSU told me to enroll in a community college for this semester, which I did and am taking 10 credits.
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If I am able to defer enrollment until Fall 2016 and get the merit scholarships and other aid described in #2, then:
Can I still take more classes during Spring semester at the community college and get all that aid and scholarships?
Or, do I have to skip Spring semester at the community college so that I don’t have too many credits in order to qualify for all the aid, including merit scholarships.
Get their answers in writing and SAVE the emails
Part of the problem may be that MSU’s merit scholarships are awarded by Admissions and not by the Financial Aid Office. I contacted the FA Office several times this Spring and was told I needed to talk to Admissions. The FA letter that outlined my son’s FA package was not accurate and showed a net cost to us that was much higher than it ended up being.
I think the OP is getting very good advice here. I would add that it would be a good idea to contact the Honors College to see if the OP qualifies - and if they might have some scholarship money available to help with Spring semester. The individuals at MSU were, to a person, very helpful. It is a huge institution, however, and the whole is not always the sum of the parts in trying to get accurate information. I would also contact the College that houses the OPs intended major to see if there might be money available through them. I asked about additional money from the CoE last February and one of the Deans told me they had some small scholarships available, “but they were insignificant…maybe a couple of thousand dollars.” Uh, $2,000 very easily could have been the difference between MSU being affordable or not for us…
Find an individual to contact through the school directory and email them personally.
I thought the Perkins loan program was being discontinued?
I just took your questions and emailed them from my msu email but it says it could take 3-5 days for a response. It’s a long drive but would it be worth it to go up there and speak to them in person or wait for email correspondence? The exact cost for one semester is 13,000 without the pell or loans but I have money saved and my parents can contribute a few thousand. What I was saying is I could do one semester I have the money but if it’s more beneficial to wait then I’ll wait. It’s upsetting to think if they accepted me in the fall I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this and I would’ve gotten all of the aid then but can’t go back now!!
Make sure you stay polite and low key.
It certainly could be more beneficial for you to wait - you’d save $10k and then you’d start in fall with other freshmen and that can be easier to make friends and find your tribe rather than a mid-year start.
I’d wait for the e-mail response at this point and then go up there depending on what is said.